Apple Chicken Salad
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Meal prep like a boss with this super simple Apple Chicken Salad recipe, made with ingredients you probably already have in your house! It’s delicious and a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Chicken salad is basically the best lunch ever. Why? Because it’s so customizable! You can make it with whatever ingredients you have on hand, or the ones that are in season.
I will always vote chicken salad recipes for quick and easy meal prep and fast lunches!
And when you add a little sweetness from apples and some crunchy walnuts, this salad is a fun chicken salad. Definitely one of my favorites!
Ingredients
I think the ingredients in this rotisserie chicken salad are fairly common.
- Chicken: Use leftover roasted chicken, grilled chicken breasts, or rotisserie chicken.
- Celery: Celery can be omitted if you don’t like the crunch.
- Apples: You can use whatever kind you like. Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji and Pink Lady are all delicious!
- Walnuts: Swap for pecans or leave them out if you don’t like walnuts.
- Mayonnaise
- Red onion: Sweet yellow onions are a good substitute if you don’t have any red onion on hand.
If you love the crunch of apples in a salad, I think you’ll love my Fall harvest salad recipe, too!
How to Make Apple Chicken Salad
Once you’ve got everything, making chicken salad couldn’t be easier. Just chop, chop chop, mix, and eat.
Seriously, it’s that easy! Get out a big mixing bowl and add the chopped, chicken, celery, onion, apples, walnuts, mayonnaise and salt and pepper.
Then stir together. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you feel like it needs it! Then you can refrigerate or eat it right away.
I like my chicken salad with bigger chunks of apple, but if you prefer them small, very finely dice or grate the apple. Spritz them with lemon juice to keep the apples from browning.
How to Store It
Store this apple chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and consume it within 3 days for the best taste. Toss the apples in a little lemon juice before mixing to prevent browning, and consider adding the walnuts just before serving to keep them crunchy.
Avoid freezing chicken salad, as it can affect the texture of the mayonnaise and fresh ingredients.
What to Serve with Apple Chicken Salad
This apple version is delicious between two pieces of fluffy bread or on a croissant to make the best chicken salad sandwich ever. You can also serve it on top of greens — or even inside tortillas or lettuce wraps.
For lunch, I like to serve chicken salad with fresh pomegranate, juicy berries and crackers. Potato chips and raw veggies make great sides too.
FAQ
Absolutely. You can prepare the salad a few hours ahead and refrigerate it. To maintain freshness, add the walnuts right before serving to keep them crunchy.
Chicken salad keeps fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container. However, the apples may brown, so be sure to spritz them with lemon juice just before serving.
I'd love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Apple Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breasts about 2½ cups diced. Or substitute leftover rotisserie or grilled chicken
- 1/2 to 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup diced apple (I like Granny Smith but use any other kind you like)
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion finely diced
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoons pepper
Instructions
- Dice the celery and apples and chop the walnuts. Cut the chicken into small, bite sized pieces.
- In a large bowl, stir all ingredients together until well combined, starting with less mayo and adding more to your preferred consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve over mixed greens and with fresh fruit and vegetables.
